Through introducing several powerful new characters and concepts, Dragon Ball Z essentially left much of the old Dragon Ball cast in the dust. "Normal humans" like Yamcha, Krillin and the alien-descended Tien all became increasingly useless as the series went on, causing them to follow more domestic pursuits. Yamcha in particular does so right off the bat, taking on the world of professional sports during the peace after King Piccolo's death.
Yamcha was showcased as being a professional baseball player in filler episodes of Dragon Ball Z, with not even death stopping his baseball fame. This saw him finally becoming a stronger fighter in later years, all thanks to his dedication to becoming a better athlete. Here's how Yamcha got his groove back.
How Yamcha Became the Taitans' Star Player
The fourth episode of Dragon Ball Z introduced a baseball team called the Taitans. This team included players like Murdock, Pepper Johnson and, of course, Yamcha. He joined the team in pursuit of professional athletics beyond martial arts, perhaps (correctly) assuming that the way Piccolo Jr. and Goku dwarfed his power was a sign of things to come. His sudden interest in the sport wasn't necessarily implied beforehand, though it likely stems from baseball simply being a popular sport in Japan.
The team's best player, Yamcha was apparently enough of a success on the fairly popular team to be excused for what had to be tremendous absences, most notably his going off to fight the Saiyans and even dying in the encounter. Despite this setback, he rejoins the team after being resurrected, though how much longer his career lasted beyond this is unknown. The Taitans as a team were still a hot commodity by the time of the Majin Buu Saga years later, with a local crook asking Gohan (in his Saiyaman guise) if his antenna could pick up the team's latest game.
Yamcha's Baseball Career Was Shockingly Successful
Various games and spin-off media would homage Yamcha's spot on the Taitans, with his uniform being an alternate costume for various characters, though usually not Yamcha himself. The sequel series Dragon Ball GT would suggest that Yamcha eventually gave up or simply aged out of his career, returning to the desert with Puar to become a bandit once more, though GT is no longer canon. However, Dragon Ball Super actually is canon, and in it, Yamcha is revealed to still be batting on the baseball field, and his now much greater strength has made him a star on the diamond.
This seems a bit unfair, given that the inarguably now-superhuman Yamcha is much more powerful than any of his teammates or opponents. Given how outmatched he's been among the Z Fighters, however, it's certainly an interesting reversal of fortune. He even participates in a game of cosmic proportion when Universe 6 and 7 play baseball against each other. He helps his team win, showing just how powerful he is as both a fighter and a baseball player. He even converts one of his signature fighting moves into a baseball technique, showing that even the seemingly weakest fighters can be versatile in and out of battle.